Wheel mounting device



May 20, 1952 e. BERGONZO WHEEL MOUNTING DEVICE Filed Oct. 12, 1950 FIG. 1

Patented May 20, 1952 Giovanni Bergonzo, Turin, Italy Application October 12, 1950, Serial No. 189,717

In Italy October 13, 1949 2 Claims.

1 v This invention'relates to means for fastening vehicle wheels to their rotating supports and provides a device permitting quick and easyfastenv ing and unfastening.

The device according to this invention comprises cooperating means carried by'the wheel and its'support, adapted to prevent relative angular displacements between the said parts, and a coupling member containing a rotatable element which, by simultaneously cooperating with elements carried by the wheel and its support, prevents their relative axial displacement.

The rotatable element is rotated by efiect of spring means previously tensioned during disassembly of the wheel, said means being released by depressing a push-button.

Further features and advantages of this invention will appear from the following description, in which reference is made to the accompanying drawing, which shows diagrammatically by way of example a construction thereof:

Figure 1 is a radial part section of a wheel provided with th improved fastening Figure 2 is a section on the line 11-11 of Figure 1; and

Figures 3 and 4 are sections on lines III-III and IV-IV of Figure 2, respectively.

A denotes the wheel drum to which a flange I is secured by means of nuts 2 screwed on bolts 3 which are provided on the drum and project therefrom.

The wheel B is riveted at 4 to an annulus 5 which fits by'means of a conical surface 6 an associated conical surface on the flange I, with respect to which it is kept from rotating by clutch teeth 5a meshing with corresponding teeth Ia on the flange I. At its opposite end said flange terminates with a circular set of sectors II flanged at I2 for the reasons set forth hereinafter.

The annulus 5 is formed outwardly with a further conical surface 1 against which is pressed an annulus 8 of C-shaped section forming an annular chamber 9. The inner face of the annulus 8 is formed with four slots I through which four sectors II on the flange I bent at their ends at I2 reach within annular chamber 9. The inner surfaces I3 of the ends I2 are tapered, as shown in Figure 4, and are acted upon by corresponding tapers I on teeth I6 on an annulus I1 located in the annular chamber and rotated through small angles by means of a spanner acting on the polygonal surface I8.

The teeth I6 are of a width such as to flt with a slight clearance in the hollows between the ends of the sectors I I.

Two coiled tension springs I9 are secured at one end to the annulus IT by screws 20 and at their other end to the annulus 8 bymeans of screws 2|, and are enclosed within the annular chamber 9.

A cover 22 secured to the annulus 8 by means of screws 23 retains the annulus I'lwithin the annular chamber 9 in the annulus 8.

As shown in Fig. 3, a stop piston 24 is axially displaceable in a bore 25 in the annulus 8 and in a further bore 26, coaxial with the former, in the cover 22.

The piston is formed with a recess 21 by which it is retained on one of the teeth I6. A tension spring 28 abuts at one end a plate 29 bearing on the tooth I6 and at its other end shoulder 30 on the piston 24.

The tooth I6 is formed with a semi-circular recess 3| engaging the end 32 of the piston 24 under the action of the spring 28 when it comes in register therewith. V

The device operates in the following manner:

When the wheel is disassembled, the abovementioned parts form the following three separate units.

(a) Drum A with flange I.

(b) Wheel B with annulus 5.

(0) Assembly of annuli 8 and II in a relative position such that the end 32 of the piston 24 is engaged by the semi-circular recess in the annulus I1. In this position the springs I9 are tensioned.

In order to fasten the wheel B on the drum A, the annulus is fitted on the flange I causing the teeth Ia and 5a to engage together.

Thereupon, the assembly (0) is fitted into the annulus 5, the teeth I6 being staggered with respect to the slots I0 in order to allow the ends :3 of the sectors II to reach between the teeth By depressing the head of the piston 24 to remove it from the recess 3|, the springs I9 displace the annulus I'I angularly with respect to the annulus 8. The teeth I6 are brought underneath the flanges I2 of the sectors II, causing the tapers I3 and I5 to slide relatively to each other till the set of teeth I6 co-operating with the teeth I2 push the annulus 8 against the conical surface 1 and the annulus 5 against the conical surface 6, thereby locking the wheel B on the drum A.

In order to disassemble the wheel B the annulus I6 is angularly displaced by acting on the polygonal surface I8 by means of a suitable spanner or otherwise. The set of teeth I6 come into register with the hollows between the teeth I2.

In this position, the piston 24 is in front of the recess 3| and is caught therein under the action of spring 28 which retains the annulus I! in this position. The assembly (0), which retained the wheel on the drum, may now be axially withdrawn, whereupon the wheel may be removed from the conical surface 6 on the drum.

What I claim is:

1. In combination, a rotating support provided with clutch teeth, a wheel coaxial with said support and provided with dog teeth complementary to the former, a circular set of flanged sectors fixedly connected with said support and coaxial therewith, a bush fixedly connected with the wheel and arranged insuch manner as to surround said circular set of flanged sectors a first annular member wedged within said bush, said annular member forming an annular chamber provided with bottom openings through which said flanged sectors on the support enter into said chamber, a second annular member rotatably arranged in said annular chamber and provided with flanged sectors adapted to become wedged between the first mentioned flanged sectors and the bottom of the annular chamber on rotation of saidsecond annular member through an angle smaller than 360", spring 'means arranged between said two annular members for automat- 4 ically producing said rotation, means provided on said second annular member for rotating said member against the action of said spring means and a spring-pressed locking bolt for blocking said rotatable annular member with respect to said firstannular member as said flanged sectors are in disengaged position." a i 2. Device as claimed in claim 1 in which the rotatable annular member end externally by a surface having a polygonal outline in order to rotate from the outside said member against the action of said spring means.

GIOVANNI BERGONZO.

REFERENCES CITED 'I h following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PA'I'ENTS I 

